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Remember back in September when we found the massive changelog to an update for the DROID DNA that detailed out its receiving of Android 4.2.2 and Sense 5? We still aren’t sure why it needed a four month delay to finally arrive if it was seemingly ready back then, but it actually is officially ready now. Verizon posted up the support documents for the update this morning as build 3.06.605.4. As you can imagine in a jump to 4.2.2 and HTC’s Sense 5, which is an overhaul of their Android skin, the changelog is significant (5 pages to be exact).

I highly recommend that you browse through all of the docs below, as this is a major change to what DNA users are accustomed to. Sense 5 introduces new People and Calendar apps, BlinkFeed (HTC’s scrolling home page newsfeed service), Video Highlights using camera footage, a new Dialer, and a new Gallery app. Again, that’s all detailed below.

If you were experiencing any issues with the phone, then also be on the lookout for all sorts of bug fixes. Bluetooth, WiFi, video recording, and battery drain issues have all been fixed, among many other things.

(Click images to enlarge)

Let us know if you receive it. According to HTC’s Executive Director of Product Management (@moversi), we could see it as early as today.

Update: The update is rolling out now.

Cheers Mathur and Brian!

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One big problem. When you charge wirelessly using a Qi charger, the battery symbol flashes continuously on the screen NON-STOP. When charging by wire, the flashing stops after a few minutes. But with the Qi, it flashes, and flash… all night long. This continuous flashing is annoying, probably burns power and perhaps puts wear and tear on the screen.

Guest

Got the update, lost my notification and ringtone, replaced by obscurely named nonsense. Not noticind bluetooth improvement i was hoping for. Icons are harder to see with the new theme. You can keep blink.

mr.nova

Is anyone’s Z and Y key swapped on the Sense Keyboard??!?!?!?

Kenny Sutherland

Just received it this morning.

Ğâzzãz Ţháhå

Hello, I’m from Sri Lanka and I have a Droid DNA. How am I suppose to update it, the phone allows update only in CDMA Mode, but we use GSM here. Which means I cannot download it for sure, I guess. Anyways, I was hoping if anyone could help with updating my phone. Maybe a link or something, where I can download the file and update it manually or so.

Please Help Me ASAP…hUge fAn Of HTC 😀

Fzum

Received updates for my Droid DNA Dec. 7th Working fine, although I have no problems with phone, it’s really a great phone. The only complaint I have is the scrolling screens have stopped. Now you have to go from one screen to the end and then scroll back thru them to go back. Everything the upgrade brings to the phone is super.

Jon

Ok, so is the texting slower for anyone else? My wife and I both are hating the speed at which texts take to send now.

saywhat

Yeah, mine was way slower for the first day after the update, and now it’s throwing errors and I have no outgoing text at all.

jj

What can we do about this problem! I hate the look of the upgrade and REALLY hate the lag in the texting! I’m sure I’m not appreciating all the pluses of the upgrade because I don’t use the stuff!! Basic fast texting is important. Do we just have to wait for HTC to make a fix?

Nick

Yes, i’m having this issue too. There has got to be a fix, this can’t be functioning normally. Anyone have any suggestions here??

Wes

Same for me as well, it is very annoying. I start to type a new message and the content i sent 3-5 seconds ago is sitting there as if nothing happened.
Also, my battery life has decreased significantly. On an average day before the update I would go to sleep with 50% battery, now my batterly just barely makes it.

so

Same here with the texting. Battery life is worst also and my screen won’t shut off, killing battery even more. Not a fan of this update.

Justin Mai

Yepyepyep! Same problem here. Not only are messages taking much longer to send, but receiving messages has also gotten weird. Very very weird. Hangouts now wants to control SMS, the stock messages app no longer displays new messages, and ChompSMS has zero notifications. Once I open either app, it shows the new messages, complete with a notification, but the messages have the original time recieved, not the time I opened it. Something is hiding the notifications and it means I get zero notifications about incoming texts :/

JJ

Driving me friggen nuts!!!! Can we uninstall the update somehow!?!?

Larry Phillips

Anyone having issues sending text messages consistently since the update or am I the only one? It’s really getting on my nerves, I didn’t have any issues with my phone until this update.

gig

Still haven’t gotten the update what’s going on???

hkklife

Someone on another forum said an HTC rep advised that the update is being staggered so as not to overload HTC’s servers.

Will

Downloading it now. I would say “too little to late” but Verizon has taught me to lower expectations enough that i’ll take this as a win.

Brandon Bunker

Droid DNA as my personal phone, MOTO X as my work phone. booya

terrorist96

So no one has mentioned anything for rooted users..

kenerd

This sucks…all the tones and ringers are quiet, locking sound is gone. Scrolling down in contacts and other apps annoyingly tries to pull to the side, like I to downgrade is what I’d like… Did I mention the sounds are quiet…also the tiles or windows don’t let you continuously scroll it stops at left or right…wish I’d have found this article and others before I did it…

Toddanh

I think with any update, it just takes some getting used to. There are things I’m not liking so far (“updated” Clock/Weather widget that is completely opaque). I think I need to use it a little more before offering a final verdict on the update.

With regards to your sound issue, I don’t have any issues with the tones & ringers. I did get a new tone for my messages though.

kenerd

All the rings pings and pops are short quiet and hard to hear from mine, plus when you try to type something on an earlier part of a sentence it jumps to the beginning rather than the place you’ve picked…guess it’s just my DNA…I like the sounds, I’d just like them louder

Toddanh

It’ll jump to the beginning if you just “tap” on the word, but if you hold onto it for a split second, it’ll “stick” to the exact spot you want to type.

kenerd

And your locking sounds? Or selection sounds, that’s also what I mean, make em LOUDER…I wish someone important for HTC reads this..lol

This is the whole reason I left android. God. Samsung really ruined android for me. Ranging from the galaxy nexus, to eventually dominating the android market. Fortunately they can’t do the same to WP.

Adrynalyne

You left Android because the DNA got an update and Samsung ruined it for you?

Harsh.

Or did you mean because of slow updates? Windows Phone won’t be fixing that for ya, LOL.

Brandon Sobotta

Ha ha. WP has a developer preview that releases updates when there ready, not when the cell providers feel their ready. Slow updates combined with a nexus forcing me to by a resound and not a nexus. The resound was quickly forgotten. And I was left with an outdated phone. Argh.

Adrynalyne

I’m interested in hearing more about this. Does this apply to any carrier device?

How often do you see updates?

LionStone

I got the mom-in-law an HTC 8X…it did just receive an update but it wasn’t the one that gives 3 rows of tiles. First issue was it would not download the update unless on wifi…that was lame. Another issue was NFC…I could not transfer a photo from my DNA because it said the file was too large…lame. I never have any issues transferring pics via NFC between DNA, N5 and N7. It is however a pretty decent phone with a very nice screen, form factor and wireless charging.

LionStone

Well, looking at the issues resolved list, mine didn’t have any of those. It still ran fast and tight! This update would’ve been nice a little sooner but I can’t say it was really necessary as far as performance, just aethetics.

Esteban_Colberto

Quick Tip: Go to settings, battery and uncheck “fast boot”. Shut down and then turn the phone on. Software update should be showing on boot. Leave fastboot off until after you are completely updated. The update button wasn’t working and the fastboot option doesn’t completely allow for the phone to shut down completely and recheck the software update properly. Good luck.

Toddanh

I find myself always leaving “fast boot” off. “Fast boot” is like hibernate on Windows PC. I had some software glitches, like folks not hearing me on the other line, that didn’t clear until I turned it off. Basically, your memory doesn’t completely clear unless you have “fast boot” turned off. It doesn’t take that long for the phone to boot anyway, so I don’t see the usefulness for “fast boot”

Esteban_Colberto

Exactly. I just wasn’t aware I had it on. Rebooting or shutting down the phone wasn’t working to run the update so I checked the settings and killed fastboot.

Adrynalyne

Its a cool gimmick. I did it mostly to play the thunder on boot on my Thunderbolt for people. People would woo over it.

Then my battery would die.

Esteban_Colberto

QUICK TIP:

Adrynalyne

Wow…felt the need to post as a guest to say the same thing again?

Fail troll. Go back to trollege.

timrcm

That wasn’t me, actually, but I’m glad to see that someone else agrees.

It IS relevant. Google only updates their own phones for 18 months, and those tend to have better hardware at launch. The Rezound was launched as an already out-of-date phone with its hardware. Anyone who bought it should’ve seen that.

Adrynalyne

Apologies for the accusation.

Hardware quality should not be proportional to the amount of updates or support it sees. It being crappy is not the reason it didn’t see more updates, although the lifecycle is.

As for out of date…it had as good/better specs than the Galaxy Nexus, so I wouldn’t have called it out of date.

More like…at the end of a hardware era.

michael arazan

Google updates Android, which they use in their own phones and tablets, manufacturers could do the same as well if they just used stock android and made all their software add-ons in to apps instead of creating crappy skinned versions.

Eduardo Ortiz

i’m using my dna on att and i need cdma conectivity to update

Don Demon

Thank GOD! I was about to throw this phone out a window. I must get that “no sim card found” at least twice a day. Wifi in my home is terrible on this phone too. My Droid Bionic was better than my DNA. hahaha.
I have high hopes for this update. If it doesnt improve my phone, this will be my first and last HTC product.
Crosses fingers!

LionStone

Did you ever go get another sim card? Mine was doing that some time ago too but as soon as I dropped in another sim it’s been fine.

Don Demon

Thanx for the tip. I never changed the sim. If this update doesnt correct it I will try replacing the sim card.

kenerd

They fixed that SIM card issue long ago…did you get the update for that?

LionStone

Yes, I did. But I had already replaced my sim so it was fine before that update.

DonDemon

Since taking the update, the phone is amazing. The weak wifi issue is gone and I haven’t had a sim card problem either. Im loving this DNA now.

Droid Does Iphones N the booty

Hell yeah I’m getting the update right now! Will see how the DNA holds up to the new 4.2.2 and sense 5! Besides the delays on updates(Verizon’s part) I still livedthis phone. It holds up to the competition in the latest phone asin performance and functionality! Would of loved a SD card slot but it is what it is!

Blue Sun

Congrats to the DNA owners who held out for this long overdue update. As a former T-bolt & former VZW subscriber, I can say your patience is better than mine ever was (RE: VZW & HTC).

Anthony Calabro

yes HTC is incredibly slow with updates this is true and sadly known fact. However one can’t deny that when the DNA came out it was way ahead of the phone cycle. Including QI charging, NFC, quad core, 2 gigs of ram, and an incredibly high definition screen was unheard of at the time of release and because of this i have not updated my phone. I am pleased to announce that i have received the update and now i cant wait to play with it. Now with all that being said iI wtill want a moto x.

Blink1st

My DNA is currently downloading the 4.2.2 update. Can someone tell me how to save the update file so the rest of you can have it?

Shadowstare

As an day one DNA user, I’d like the thank HTC for pushing this update and keeping users aware of the progress (to some degree) via twitter. I like to hate on Verizon for their never almost never ending approval process. To my fellow DNA users (who still have stock software) The wait is over. Woooooooooooooo!

gambit07

Finally!!! Sense 5 roms won’t have the audio bug anymore 😀

fauxshizzl

Unbelievable. I just dropped and shattered the screen in mine yesterday.

Tyler Casilio

Duck tape man, duck tape

Adrynalyne

Duct*

ace

That sucks man. Dropped mine this summer from maybe 1 ft and it just shattered. Maybe time to get the screen fixed? Lol

kenerd

Dropped mine and first phone dropped ever last month, got a new one for 60…thank you insurance.

LionStone

I dropped my in the first week! It was a far cry slimmer and slicker than the Tbolt lol, wasn’t quite used to that. And yea, $100. for a brand new one the next day!

Tyler Casilio

Mine just got it!!!!! Ohhhh there’s noooo place like updatessss for the holidaysssssssss

Joel

Awesome! Great news. I will download and install it later today. I love the Droid DNA. I purchased it in May. Fast and has a beautiful 1080p screen. Only knock is the battery life. Hopefully the update will fix it a little.

Check for another update – there are two updates total (as far as I know anyway)

LionStone

Yes, the first one I see is 14.8MB …so that is surely not the 4.2.2

Tyler Casilio

Try again 😉

Tyler Casilio

We are probably gonna get this tomorrow, but I am so excited

Toddanh

Looks like it’s a 2-step update process. The first update reboots your phone almost immediately. When it comes back on the software version still says 4.1.1. Then you check under “Software Update” again and a new update appears. The 2nd update is apparently taking longer. It’s been “Downloading firmware” for a few minutes now.

Toddanh

By the way, after the first update, you have to go to “Settings” then “Software Update” to get the 2nd update. For some reason, if you go to “About”, there appears to be another “Software update” menu. Looks like this is app related. I’m not sure.

Tyler Casilio

Yeah your right. Mine is downloading now and it says 30 minutes. It’s gotta be it

hldc1

The second update is 564+ MB.

Excited I am. I almost forgot what updates felt like.

I’m almost jumped ship for a Moto X (got one for the girlfriend), but I really like wireless charging. Still perplexed as to why Motorola didn’t think of a way to fit that in.

Guest

I downloaded the second update then it just disappeared, didn’t ever install, and now says there is no new software available. I installed the first one though. Did they pull the second one already? Seems like a classic Verizon move to do.

Toddanh

That happened to me too. You have to reboot your phone so that the update message comes up again. A prompt will state that your phone is ready to update. I had to reboot twice before it actually proceeded with the update.

hldc1

My download of the big update failed about 80% in. Restarted my phone, and got it to re-download. Installed without issue.

Favorite things so far:

– Can choose to not use Blinkfeed.
– Option to display battery percentage next to battery meter on status bar.
– AOSP-like QUICK SETTINGS!
– Dialer is pretty slick. Really like that the “Call” button is inactive until you press a number.
– Picasa album in Gallery actually shows my pictures (on 4.1.1, the Gallery showed some Korean dude’s pictures…definitely weird).
– Simplified lock screen (swipe up on any icon instead of having to bring the icon to the ring).

Personal annoyances:

– Can’t stand, absolutely CAN’T STAND, that stupid persistent Wi-Fi notification. I think I can tell just by looking at the status bar if the Wi-Fi- is on or not. I don’t need that stupid notification there. I don’t want that stupid notification there.
– Can’t stand the giant menu bar in apps that haven’t dealt with this. Needs to be an option in settings to deal with this.
– I don’t like how the apps drawer scrolls vertically instead of horizontally. I liked the left-to-right much better.
– I don’t particularly care for the new bold skinny font they’re using. Much prefer good ol’ Roboto.

Toddanh

Thanks for the battery meter on status bar note! I had a battery widget just for this, but now I no longer need it. I’m also glad Blinkfeed is optional. I actually tried it and it sucks. Sure, a lot of “information” is readily available at a glance, but it’s just information overload. I’m not that crazy about Facebook.

With regards to the Wi-Fi notification, the DNA has always had this. Even when you turn off Wi-Fi, it never leaves the notification menu. I hate it. I was hoping that it would disappear with the new update, but nope, it’s still there in the menu telling you that Wi-Fi is off. At least the Wi-Fi icon with the ! is gone.

Also, there’s still a problem with MMS notifications. When someone in a group MMS texts me and I click on his text in the notification bar, it goes directly to his SMS instead of the group MMS.

hldc1

I have disliked the Wi-Fi notification ever since I booted my phone for the first time. It’s just simply annoying.

I don’t see why they couldn’t offer an option for the apps drawer to scroll horizontally. I’m hoping this makes it’s way to 4.4.

On another note, I don’t care for the look of the Weather app in Sense 5. I much prefer the look/feel of Weather in Sense 4. The new version is way beyond simplistic.

TylerChappell

I’m curious, does it typically take a pretty long time to charge your DNA wirelessly? I’m not impressed with wireless charging yet. Spent like $70 on the Nexus 4 orb charger only for my phone to charge at like 1/4th the rate of taking that same charger and plugging the cable directly into my phone.

Rick

My dna charges pretty quickly with my LG wireless charger. At the dance speed I would guess as a wall.

Detonation

No Zoe? Guess I’ll wait until someone uses this as a base and merges the other Sense 5 stuff available in current S5 Roms.

Genkidama

I absolutely will never buy an HTC phone again because of how incredibly slow they are with updates. Sorry I am a impassioned previous HTC Thunderbolt owner.

Tyler Casilio

IT’S VERIZON!!! NOT HTC!!! what don’t you guys understand, so the Galaxy Nexus update on Verizon took 6 months over the other carriers but that was Samsung?

Adrynalyne

Verizon purposely sabotaged the Galaxy Nexus.

However, OEMs with overlays DO DO DO! add to the time period in getting updates.

Cael

Verizon’s bloat dirtied up the pure Android experience…so sad…

Adrynalyne

It was two apps. But yeah….they are idiots.

michael arazan

Would love to see the numbers of who uses Verizon bloatware apps.

Kellex should make a poll

http://thebeeobee.com/ thebeeobee

I hope Verizon pushes those new Moto updates someday…oh wait…

Sorry HTC is to blame here.

Cael

I hope they pushed that 4.3 update to the GS4…oh wait they already did…and they’re just now pushing 4.2.2 to the DNA? Clearly HTC.

TNT602

Only reason the cheap ass samsung s4 git the update was cuz of the cheap “gear” they made, and you dumbass samsung fans buy into there crap. Hahahahahahaha support there junk idiot. Lmao s4 has 4.3 now lol ur cool

Cael

I’m not a samsung fan. I’ve never owned a Samsung smartphone and more than likely never will so your post is pretty invalid. Point still stands: HTC is the slow one.

mcdonsco

Is that why the moto x on Verizon was the first to get kit Kat?

Droid Does Iphones N the booty

Yep. New production of Google buying Motorola! Moto X is gettin its love first!

mcdonsco

If it were just that one of the other carriers would have gotten first.

capecodcarl

My Rezound is still running Android 4.0.3. Is that Verizon’s fault too? It’s barely 2 years old and there have been 4 major Android releases since it was introduced.

timrcm

The Rezound was a thick pile of crap when it first came out, let alone 2 years later.

Adrynalyne

Irrelevant to the argument.

Cael

No it’s HTC’s fault cause they use year old technology for their supposed “current flagships.” Anyone who disagrees is blind. HTC, they’re learning slowly…next flagship with 4MP camera, 5 inch screen 1080p, and S800? Sorry everyone is on 5.2 1080p/5.5 2K screens, 10/13/16/20 MP cameras with OIS, and the S805. Their R&D team needs to learn what the internet is and use it.

lawrencewilson

It seems that at least with Verizon, HTC has a habit of releasing phones, then abandoning them almost immediately. I have owned two such phones, the Thunderbolt and the Rezound (which I got after going through five Thunderbolts). I have only seen one major upgrade on the Rezound (I traded up from the Thunderbolt before it got ICS). There’s no reason they couldn’t have made some attempt to put Jelly Bean on either phone.

That’s why my next phone will be the DROID Maxx. I’d much rather have another HTC like the One, but their tendency to orphan phones so soon combined with their financial instability has lost me as one of their customers for the forseeable future.

Cael

I guess that’s why the One X, X+, Evo 4G LTE all have 4.3 and are just waiting for 4.4 to get approved…oh wait do they even have Android 4.2.2? I mean they aren’t even 2 years old yet. I guess that’s AT&T and Sprint’s fault.
Well HTC did say they were going to update the One S to something? Oh wait they said they couldn’t. HTC doesn’t care about pre-One (2013) phones. They dug their own grave. No carrier did it for them. Next year they probably won’t care about the One mini or One max after they get 4.4. The DNA will be dead after it gets 4.4…if they don’t change their minds and leave it on 4.3 because it doesn’t have the wonderful 4 MP camera so it can’t handle the Sense 5.5 Kit Kat update. The One will probably get 4.5/5.0 and thats it for it. Then the 2014 HTC One More will stop getting support in 2015 so they can focus on the 2015 HTC Another One.

Michael Chediak

Awesome news…Updating as we speak

paulmike3

Skipping 4.3, going to 4.4 Q1.

Adrynalyne

Are we making wagers, or is that a theory?

Michael Chediak

I just read that on HTC’s twitter feed…Hoping it really happens!!

Sally Kay Bratrsovsky

My Droid DNA is doing the update now! 😀

Guest

Thought I was getting the update now but false hope – phone is still at 4.1.1. Got a message saying my phone was updated but I don’t see anything different!

Tyler Casilio

MINES GETTING IT NOW! Check to see if there is an update again!!

Tyler Casilio

I thought mine was but it was something else. Not Sense 5.0, my excitement got the best of me

Sally Kay Bratrsovsky

There are 2 updates total. Mine is 67% done with the second one

AUSTEEEZZZ

Wondering if this update will destroy the phone all together

Ethan T

Love my DNA and looking forward to this update … but I won’t be able to push it to my phone until we see a safely rooted version that will keep S-OFF. Here’s hoping that doesn’t take long!

TSK

Loved my DNA when i had it. Moto X now, not gonna look back either.

Alan Burnstine

I would move to the X if it had wireless charging (now that 32gig version is available). The 16 gig memory on the DNA is killing me, but I won’t buy another device that doesn’t have wireless charging.

Curtis

Same. Great phone, better phone.

gregwlsn

Wireless charging is addictive. Sold DNA for Galaxy Note 3 and touchwiz madness, then forked over another $50 for Samsung’s wireless charging battery cover. Didn’t really need to because the N3 battery lasts all day. But the DNA’s camera was overall better than the One or the Note 3.

Godzilla

The funny thing is that the DNA specs match up pretty well with the MOTO X, some say they even beat it.

Having had the DNA, I can say even after slimmed down ROM’s, changing clockspeeds, and kernel tweaks… the Moto X is better. The DNA could come out on top speed-wise on some things but it’d heat up like a hot Tamali in order to do so and still wouldn’t feel as responsive as the X. Software refinement won this round.

Godzilla

Well the moto x SHOULD be better with its low power cores added to the mix.

TJWaterskier

The extra low power cores shouldn’t really effect the speed of the device at all. Right? I though they are just for the added features. (Knowing when your driving, When the phone gets moved, Touchless Controls) Doesn’t the whole OS still runs on the dual core S4?

Godzilla

Right.

The main reason the X is so far in my opinion is because it is running 98% stock. Less added weight than Samsung and HTC put on their phones. As you said the smaller cores take care of smaller tasks and features leaving heavy duty tasks for the main dual core chip.

TJWaterskier

The Moto X runs just as fast as 100% stock on a Quadcore Snapdragon 800 (read: Nexus 5). My point is that this is not because of the extra little cores, it is just due to software refinement. The extra cores have no bearing on the speed of the OS. If the Nexus 5 had the Moto X features and were running those processes on the main cores then we’d be able to factor the extra cores in.

Godzilla

A good point. Needless to say the MOTO X has been surprisingly good.

I just think most people though it was too expensive at first. It should have been at the current prices since the get go.

But let’s not open that can of worms…..

TJWaterskier

I paid full price off-contract for the Verizon Developer Edition and I have zero regrets. Personally the experience I’m having with device is worth the money.

Godzilla

That’s great. Glad you are happy with your purcahse. No matter what the item is or the price, what matters is that we’re happy with the purchase in the end.

AbbyZFresh

It may run great now. But let’s see if it lasts as smooth as the iPhone 4 over the next few years.

Adrynalyne

iPhone 4 runs iOS7 like crap so…

AbbyZFresh

That was an extremely quick response.You must really hate iphones. lol

Adrynalyne

Nah. I’m just monitoring the board. I don’t hate them, I just don’t enjoy using them.

gtg465x

Pretty much every flagship phone released in the past year looks better than the Moto X spec wise. Even so, the Nexus 5 is the only one that feels faster and smoother than the Moto X, but not by much. And the innovation is strong with the X. Cool, extremely useful features instead of the gimmicky type features we’ve been seeing a lot of lately.

http://randomphantasmagoria.com/ Shawn

I really hope Verizon rolls out VoLTE swiftly. Once CDMA goes away entirely, and people finally have the option of running unlocked devices, this will all be a thing of the past for people who care about updates. I can’t tell you how awesome it is having Verizon coverage on my Nexus 7, while not having to get Verizon’s approval for updates. Sure, I can’t get 3G or 1X, but with Verizon’s LTE network as big as it is, that’s basically never an issue. Now, we just need phones to get there, but that can’t happen until VoLTE rolls out.

Godzilla

Well see that is a nice thought. But Verizon is going to sell its 700mhz spectrum to TMO or ATT. Why you ask? Some friends of mine have the suspicion that Verizon is trying to come up with a way to keep control and get out of those new FCC mandates.

We shall see if they do it or not.

http://randomphantasmagoria.com/ Shawn

They’d be absolutely stupid to sell their 700 MHz spectrum because that is the very reason they can have an LTE network as big as they do and cover such large swaths of area, especially in rural America. If they moved all their LTE to 1,700 MHz, they’d need to double their tower presence to cover the same area. That would be the worst business decision since New Coke. That’s why T-Mobile can’t cover rural areas effectively with HSPA+, and instead just leave it all on EDGE. Their HSPA+ runs on 1,700 MHz and without doubling their tower presence, converting existing rural towers to HSPA+ could mean they’re cutting their coverage footprint almost in half.

Verizon’s UNUSED spectrum, yes. They don’t need all the spectrum they have. But to assert that they’d give up what they’re already using on 700 MHz and sell it off in favor of deploying LTE on the AWS/1700 MHz band is lunacy.

Godzilla

I understand that. The theory is that if they can use AWS there may be away to avoid the FCC rules about unlocking

Godzilla

Actually they doubled their capacity yesterday. I will try to find a link.

Dude, just stop. Yes, they’re enabling 1,700 MHz LTE in CITIES, where they don’t have to cover huge amounts of area off one tower. That has absolutely NOTHING to do with doubling their tower resources or moving off 700 MHz LTE.

Godzilla

1700mhz sucks for building penetration though. Just ask some TMO customers. Buildings are best penetrated below 1000mhz.

I dont want verizon to use higher mhz spectrum for this very reason.

http://randomphantasmagoria.com/ Shawn

But you don’t get it, there will never be a place on Verizon’s network where you’ll have 1700 MHz LTE available, but not 700 MHz. The 1700 MHz LTE is there to boost and support the existing 700 MHz LTE. Simple as that.

Godzilla

Ok well that I did not know. Makes me feel better. LOL

zepfloyd

Don’t get ahead of yourself. Verizon is considering selling their Block A 700Mhz licences which they are not, and probably won’t use , the current network is in Block C 700Mhz, which is going no where. Period. There reasons for selling it (potentially). Block A has interference issues, they don’t own Block A entirely nationwide, and they want to dump some spectrum to reduce holdings to be a player and pick up spectrum in the upcoming 600Mhz auction.

Godzilla

Some say they are selling it for cash to buy back Vodafone shares

zepfloyd

Everything you’ve posted borders on near conspiracy theory territory or pure stupidity. Verizon is not trying to move their entire network out of Block C (56% of the total network runs through it now). Verizon is not hurting for cash, they have plenty of ways to raise capital, selling assets isn’t on that list. I just explained why they would *consider* selling that piece of 700, it’s also not adjacent to what they ARE using there. As they say, see the forest for the trees.

Godzilla

I didnt say they were getting rid of block C. Do you realize how much debt Verizon has? Do you think they want to ad more when they purchase back vodafone shares? I understand they are selling unused spectrum, ok fine. But you need to remember that this is Verizon we’re talking about and no one should trust them when it comes to unlocked devices on their network.

If there is a way for them to avoid unlocked devices on their network, they will do it.

You need to read more my friend. Verizon has a ton of debt and they are trying to buy back vodafone shares. They also hate unlocked devices with a passion. Dont believe me? Just think about verizon’s history for a second.

Adrynalyne

What is is this sob story about debt when Verizon rakes in record profits all the time?

Godzilla

Nope, i could care less what verizon does with its profit. I love verizon’s network but lets be honest here. They’re attitude twards customers and unlocked devices is horrible.

There is a reason the Nexus 5 does not work on verizon yanno.

Adrynalyne

Sounds like a deflection. How did we go from selling of spectrum, to debt (we WERE here), to attitude towards customers, to the Nexus 5?

http://randomphantasmagoria.com/ Shawn

Dude, like I’ve told you on XDA a hundred times…don’t feed the trolls. Not worth it. haha

Adrynalyne

I’m waiting for work to come in for me.

Until then, its kinda like feeding ducks in the park…its entertaining to see how they swarm and fight over crumbs :p

http://randomphantasmagoria.com/ Shawn

Fair enough, my friend.

Hothfox

I had some fun in the Moto X coupon code article. It is quite entertaining, isn’t it?

hldc1

Yes.

The benefit of their 700 MHz spectrum is its broadcast-attractive physics such as its ability to penetrate walls (the reason why it was used for analog TV signals). They would have to invest a ridiculous amount of money in AWS in order to cover the same footprint.

CaptainHowdy13

Verizon won’t even let an unlocked Nexus 7 on their network, you think they will let unlocked phones on?

http://randomphantasmagoria.com/ Shawn

Sure they will. I had no problem. I got mine activated on a new line of service. No BS.

CaptainHowdy13

Interesting. Was it a phone they have in their lineup?

http://randomphantasmagoria.com/ Shawn

No. Basically since they don’t have Nexus 7 IMEIs in their database yet (due to the whole certification fiasco), I grabbed the IMEI off a floor-model Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 at a VZW store, then called VZW customer service to set up a new line. They asked for the IMEI, so I gave them the one from the floor model, which obviously passed the “is this certified for our network” test. They sent me a micro SIM via UPS. I went online to the activation part, put in the IMEI from the floor model, the SIM ID from the micro SIM they sent me, then put it into my Nexus 7. It activated no problem. In My Verizon, it just shows up as a non-VZW device, but whatever. The thing works. That’s what I care about.

Adrynalyne

Some store managers also do this for customers. Its a shame its an issue in the first place.

http://randomphantasmagoria.com/ Shawn

Agreed. Now, there are some gotchas…if you don’t already have a My Verizon account, it won’t let you sign up for one with a non-VZW device. So you’ll have to either have customer service do it for you or put your SIM into a recognized device and set it up. Also, with a non-VZW device, you won’t be able to make changes to your plan on your own since the system doesn’t know what the device is, but again that’s something customer service can help with.

Bootleg Zani

Pretty slick man.

http://randomphantasmagoria.com/ Shawn

There’s more than one way to fry an egg.

Hothfox

I must be missing something here. If you used a floor model’s IMEI number, doesn’t that mean that device can now not activate on the network? What if someone tries to use the same floor model’s IMEI number to activate their Nexus 7? I thought IMEI numbers were what Verizon checked to see if the phone was lost/stolen, etc.?

http://randomphantasmagoria.com/ Shawn

When doing a new activation, Verizon uses the IMEI numbers for 2 things:

1. To check for a lost or stolen devices.
2. To make sure that they see the devices as compatible with their network.

The floor model IMEI passed both of those checks. Once you get past that, the SIM card is what the system uses to determine your plan, subscriber status, etc. Even though I gave them the IMEI number of the floor model, as soon as I put that SIM in my Nexus 7, it no longer showed I had a Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 (which was the floor model). Instead, it recognized the different IMEI number (the real one from my Nexus 7) and now shows that I have a “Non-VZW device”. So the floor model’s IMEI was only used to get around network checks. That IMEI isn’t actually attached to my SIM card. The Nexus 7’s IMEI is what’s attached to the SIM. I just had to use the floor model IMEI to get around the “hey, we don’t recognize this device’s IMEI number” the setup of the new line.

Hothfox

Oh, duh. That makes sense. Thanks for explaining

AT&T actually had to do that to activate my Nexus 7. Which surprised me, I expected it was in their system already. Guess not. It still shows up as unknown in my account.

http://randomphantasmagoria.com/ Shawn

You must’ve activated it right after the Nexus 7 LTE was released then. All the IMEIs are in their database now. I had mine activated on AT&T before I switched to Verizon. I have a GPE Galaxy S4 on AT&T, so I figured I’d put the N7 on Verizon and have the best of both worlds. 😀

Hothfox

When was the LTE model released? I bought it at Best Buy on 10/19 and activated it the same day. *shrugs* Doesn’t really matter.

http://randomphantasmagoria.com/ Shawn

OH wow. That’s really weird, then. I bought mine in September, went to an AT&T store, and they were able to use the IMEI straight off my device with no problem. Yeah, in the end it doesn’t matter. You’ve got service now. That’s what’s important. 😀

Adrynalyne

They don’t have to as long as CDMA is still around.

Blue Sun

By swiftly, did you mean 2015 or 2016?

http://randomphantasmagoria.com/ Shawn

Oof. Tough, but fair.

Simon Belmont

Congrats, DNA owners. Seems like you got it a tad earlier than expected.

Here’s hoping you see KitKat early next year. Cheers.

http://meatcastle.com/ Youre My Boy Bloo

Ummmm this is Verizon we are talking about… Do you mean next year as in next year from 25 days from now?

It still hasn’t gotten Android 4.3! It won’t get Kit Kat until at least December 2014 and thats if HTC doesn’t drop support for it!

Tyler Casilio

No, they said today on Twitter we are getting Sense 5.5 and 4.4 in Q1 2014

Cael

HTC says a lot of things. Wouldn’t be surprised if it got delayed, or more testing had to be done.

Hothfox

My experience with the Blunderbolt shied me away from HTC for good, I think.

Droid Does Iphone N the booty

I had a thunderbolt (blunderbolt) before I got this Droid DNA! There new line up of quad core phones are great!

Alex Coldstone Simon

will definitely be checking this out. even though i’m very happy with my G2, i miss my DNA…

Beavus

A year late and a dollar short….Such a great phone…in 2012…

Simon Belmont

There’s really no difference between Android 4.2.2 and Android 4.3 with this phone. You miss out on a couple GPU improvements, and that’s about it (HTC had already been implementing TRIM since Android 4.1).

You get the same updated Quick Settings and so forth. It’s a worthy update.

Godzilla

That isnt the point, the point is to be as current as possible.

Simon Belmont

Why complain about it not being up to Android 4.3 (or 4.4, which nothing HTC has yet except GPe phones) if you get the same feature set in Android 4.2.2? Sure, it’s not the latest, but that’s the nature of skinned Android phones.

Considering a lot of people were afraid that they wouldn’t even get this much, I’d be happy. But that’s just me.

Evan Knofsky

The HTC One developer edition and unlocked HTC One’s already have 4.4 and sense 5.5

Simon Belmont

You’re right. I missed them.

Good catch. HTC has been on a roll lately, and that’s a good thing.

Cael

Because HTC originally said they were skipping 4.2 and going to 4.3 in August/September. Then they it was 4.2.2. Then they said it was delayed until December in September? So yeah it’s easy to complain when they contradict themselves about a phone you may be stuck with for 2 years.
Galaxy S4 got 4.3 last month? It was released after the DNA, which is just now getting 4.2.2. Yes, it is the nature of skinned Android phones to get an update months down the line but what’s their excuse for not skipping 4.2.2 like the other Ones and going straight to 4.3?
HTC is no different than LG. Release your supposed “flagships” with the most current version as possible and you won’t have to hear people ask when the update is coming because the most current version was out 6 months before you released the thing and could have been updated it from the start.

Simon Belmont

And here I am looking at my wife’s T-Mobile HTC One that got Android 4.3 back in October. LAWL.

My guess is that they were already too far into the process on Android 4.2.2 and decided against switching to Android 4.3. I’ve read above that the DNA will see KitKat in Q1 of 2014, so they probably just decided to skip Android 4.3. It’s not an excuse. But, it’s probably what happened.

Thought I mentioned that above, but I don’t see it now. From what I’ve heard HTC has been doing TRIM since Android 4.1.

Either way, it’s better than nothing. With a skinned phone, you take what you can get and HTC has been doing pretty well lately.

Adrynalyne

Hey if it works well, who cares. Right?

Simon Belmont

Exactly. That’s why I don’t get the version craziness.

I understand WANTING the latest version, but if there’s really no delta between feature sets in different versions, I don’t see the reason for being upset. DNA owners, hopefully, will see KitKat, too, before its time is up.

paulmike3

4.4 will come with Sense 5.5, which has improvements over Sense 5 which is coming with 4.2.2.

Simon Belmont

Yeah, but I was talking about Sense 5 and Android 4.3. I know that Sense 5.5 has additional improvements over Sense 5, but Sense 5 between two different versions of Android is essentially the same.

I originally was trying to get the point across that between Android 4.2.2 and Android 4.3 with Sense 5 on both, there is really negligible differences in feature sets. But yes, Sense 5.5 and KitKat will definitely have new stuff.

gtg465x

To go one step further, there’s hardly any difference between this and Sense with Android 4.4 either (have the update on my One). Half of the KitKat features didn’t make it in to the Sensified version, and there wasn’t much new to see in KitKat in the first place.

Tyler Casilio

Just new Icons but Sense has their own lol and I don’t see swiping to the right being Google Now because Blinfeed is there

Ryan

Good for you HTC.

NickA

Anyone get it yet? I dug my DNA out of the drawer and will use it as my daily driver for a month or two. I miss it.

jsp4057

I did the same thing. Love this phone again after update and battery life is much better

gdog1977

I agree, this update has brought new life to the phone. Seems smooth as silk multitasking and general use. Compared to a friends LG G2 that has the snap 800 side by side, DNA was crushing it. I think Sense 5 has some sort of secret sauce built in. Didn’t like the launcher, but was easily replaced with nova launcher, and the stock dialer on this is excellent imo.

Warwick

Congrats DNA users!

Godzilla

Wow, a little late to the game are we HTC?

Every DNA owner I know has taken updates into their own hands.

NickA

I must give your comment the standard “better late than never” answer.

Godzilla

Its 4.2. They should have skipped to 4.3 at least.

Tyler Casilio

It’s Verizon not HTC

Scott

Moto X pretty much disproved that theory.

Shane Thomas

I loved my DNA when I was on Big Red. Great to see it getting some update love.

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